Hundreds of fans thronged outside JJ Hospital, where Salman Khan was taken for a medical check-up after his conviction, forcing the hospital to close its gates until the crowd dispersed

They say love makes the world go round, but fans’ love for Salman Khan brought JJ Hospital to a near standstill, forcing a total lockdown of its gates for over three hours. After Khan was convicted in the hit-and-run case, he was taken to the hospital for a medical check-up before imprisonment, and hundreds of fans followed him there, flooding the premises outside JJ.

Sources said the mob began gathering around 1.30 pm, as soon as the court delivered the verdict. Those who had heard that the actor would be taken to the hospital went there to catch one last glimpse of him before he was imprisoned. However, the crowd soon swelled and became uncontrollable, and the hospital security had to call the JJ Marg police station for help.

Unable to differentiate between the patients, relatives and overenthusiastic fans, the police and hospital administration were forced to lock all nine gates to keep everyone out. As a result, many patients and relatives found it hard to enter, while those already inside were compelled to stay there till the gates opened.

Hundreds of Salman Khan fans gathered outside JJ Hospital, forcing the police and hospital administration to close the gates for over three hours as the crowd waited to catch a glimpse of the actor. Pics/Datta Kumbhar

“We had to close all the entry and exit points of the hospital because fans were trying to get inside by any means possible. The issue arose when relatives of patients got stuck in the crowd. We had no means to ascertain if they were really relatives or just fans trying to get in,” said one of the police officers manning the gates.

It was only some time after 4.30 pm that the gates were opened as the crowd began to disperse — they had heard that Khan had got interim bail. The hospital staff confirmed that none of the patients faced any inconvenience since ambulances were still allowed to enter. However, sources confirmed that the number of casualty patients remained relatively low since not many were able to get past the crowd and the gates.

Official speakAccording to the on-duty resident medical officer, Dr Mahesh Puri, although the fans had created a nuisance, the police had handled it well. “For three hours, we had to close the gates because of the uncontrollable crowd.

The Traffic police faced serious trouble managing the roads outside the hospital, but the police managed to keep the situation under control within our premises. Thankfully, none of the patients faced any problems, but due to the gates being shut, relatives had to stay out,” he told mid-day.